Not applicable.
Not applicable.
This invention relates to cards such as telephone calling cards, credit and debit cards and the like, and more particularly, to such cards manufactured using a lenticular lens material.
Lenticular lenses and lenticular lens materials have a wide variety of uses, particularly for advertising purposes. Heretofore, the material has been used on cereal boxes and other packaging to promote movies, for example. As is well-known in the art, one of the advantages of using lenticular lenses is that it can be used to provide a variety of visual effects which are created as the lens material is viewed from different angles.
It is becoming more and more common for people to use cards not only for charging a purchase on credit, but also to debit an account, obtain funds from an automatic teller machine (ATM), place long distance telephone calls, etc. These cards, all of which are about the same size as a conventional credit card, are used at points of purchase, inserted in an ATM, or inserted into a reader on a telephone. The card includes a microchip having authorization information, account numbers, and other information which, when accepted, allows the user to complete an appropriate transaction. The use lenticular lens material is also known. Recently, a thin sheet lenticular lens material has been developed which has features which, when combined with current card technology provides certain advantages over conventional cards now in use.
Among the several objects of the present invention may be noted the provision of a card such as a telephone card, credit card, debit card, ATM card and the like made with the use of a lenticular lens material;
the provision of such a card made with the use of a thin film lenticular lens material so the resulting thickness of the card is compatible with that of conventional cards so the card is usable in the various readers provided for the respective types of cards;
the provision of such a card in which interlaced image segments are printed on one side of the lenticular material, different images being seen through the material when the face of the card is subsequently viewed by a user;
the provision of such a card which is a laminated card having a backing material to which the lenticular material is secured, a magnetic strip or the like being attached to the opposite side of the backing material to which the lenticular material is secured;
the provision of such a card in which an opening is formed in the lenticular material for attaching a machine readable microchip to the material; and,
the provision of such a card in which use of the printed lentcular material provides an attractive presentation to the company sponsoring the card and a user thereof.
In accordance with the invention, generally stated, a card for use as a telephone authorization card or the like is comprised of a layer of a backing material such as a stiff plastic material which has some pliability. A thin sheet lenticular lens material has a flat surface on which is printed selected interlaced images. On the other side of the lens material is formed a plurality of lenticules through which the images are viewed. The flat side of the lenticular material is secured to one face of the backing in a convenient manner. A cutting tool is now used to form an opening in the outer face of the lenticules and a programmed microchip is inserted in the opening and secured in place. On the outer face of the backing material a magnetic strip containing magnetically encoded indicia is secured. The card is usable in a reader which can scan the magnetic strip and read information from the microchip to allow the user to place a telephone call or conduct other transactions. Other objects and features will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.